Street roots., September 27, 2013, Page 5, Image 5

5
Street roots
Sept. 27, 2013
OLDER, WISER, from page 4
LGBTQ seniors are estranged from their families. Most
are hesitant to be out while living in a retirement
community, where the main population grew up in a
world where being gay wasn’t an option.
A .Z .: What is the overarching purpose o f creating this
film ? How can it speak to the general public, not ju st the
LG BTQ population?
P.R.: For me, it’s telling the untold story of a very
specific group of people and an overall discussion at the
idea of aging in the U.S. Everyone gets older, so
everyone can relate to the basic options and concerns
these men are facing.
♦
A .Z .: Were there any pieces o f the project that you hadn’t
expected to discover in the process or that took you by
surprise?
P.R.: Well - 1 am not a senior. So my biggest
discovery, or “of course!” moment, was that I had so
much in common with them. I loved discovering that a
lot of them are still figuring out who they are. The
world changes and they have to adapt to it. I love the
idea that you live your life to the fullest, always. That
that part doesn’t stop. It’s often thought that when you
reach a certain age, you become stagnant. But this
project taught me otherwise. Growth is ageless.
A .Z .: What did you see as your greatest challenges?
P.R.: Getting people to open up in front of a camera
is a huge challenge for anyone. The senior generation in
particular is not so media savvy and not accustomed to
being on film — unlike the younger generations that
upload videos of themselves on YouTube daily. Being
filmed and then seeing themselves on the screen was a
bigger deal to them. We were also talking with people
who were still closeted, and not fully out. So we wanted
to be extra careful with exposing them.
A .Z .: A nd since SXSW, what kind o f reception have you
seen?
P.R.: It’s been great so far, People are really
surprised how much they can relate to the characters,
and surprised by how moved they are. A lot of people
start thinking about their own lives and relationships.
The best part is seeing the senior stars of the film take
the documentary with them on their own adventures,
hosting their own panels and having a platform to talk
about their stories.
Harmless OF Fool
By Jay Thiemeyer
harmless oF fool
took my fiver
for cigarettes
if you’re dying
die comfortable
if alone
carry your death with you
at all times
I am your friend old man
could be there with you so
where do we go from here?
we go to watch the river
and lose ourselves in it
I’ll see you at the Tenner
when you wander in to talk
about the early days
unlike today
when people mattered
and money
was not even in
the picture.
It took a world
away
money. Take it
from me.
outside, the twilight
hangs
like a balloon,
a thought forgotten
an entire life
Creamer and Raval walk along the Hawthorne Bridge during the film in g o f “Before You Know I t about gay seniors.
EASY
& FUN
TO
SHOP
• LO CALLY
OW NED
w w w .n e w s e a s o n s m a r k e t.c o m
& OPERATED